Tracy Martin, left, and Sybrina Fulton, the parents of Trayvon Martin, arrive at the trial for George Zimmerman in Sanford, Fla., on July 12. / Joe Burbank, AP

by Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY

by Yamiche Alcindor, USA TODAY

WASHINGTON -- The father of Trayvon Martin, speaking at the inaugural meeting of the Congressional Caucus on Black Men and Boys, asked lawmakers to amend stand your ground laws and take actions to prevent profiling of black men.

Martin also thanked President Obama for commenting about his son's death and said the country must use the acquittal of George Zimmerman to question self-defense laws.

The July 13 verdict prompted rallies across the country and calls for a nationwide discussion on racial issues. Wednesday, several speakers and members of Congress at the hearing talked about the dangers of profiling, as well as challenges facing black youths such as inadequate educational tools, unfair criminal justice practices, and healthcare disparities.

"We won't let the verdict sum up who Trayvon was," Tracy Martin told a packed room, explaining that he wants to be part of a national conversation about senseless violence and crime. "We need to understand how these laws apply to ourselves."

The caucus, co-chaired by Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C., and Rep. Danny Davis, D-Ill., was started in March to raise awareness about issues that disproportionately affect black men and youths. Wednesday, journalists, lawmakers, students, and several others filled a room in the Rayburn House Office Building to listen to discussions about Trayvon's death and the aftermath of Zimmerman's acquittal.

"The loss of 17-year-old Trayvon has focused attention on black males as nothing else has in decades," Norton said during the hearing. "We seek a society that does not define black men and boys but allows African American males the opportunity to define themselves as individuals."

She added that black men from all walks of life are "clothed in stereotypes" and as a result the country must work to dismantle long held prejudices.

Zimmerman, 29, a neighborhood watch volunteer in a gated townhouse community in Sanford, Fla. killed Trayvon on Feb. 26, 2012, as the teen returned home from buying snacks at a convenience store.

Zimmerman, who is Hispanic, said he shot the unarmed black teenager in self-defense after being attacked. Zimmerman has maintained that race did not factor into the shooting. Trayvon's parents disagree.

A jury deliberated for more than 15 hours before finding Zimmerman not guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter.

That verdict however should be the foundation for the "Trayvon Martin amendment" to stand your ground laws, Tracy Martin told lawmakers. The amendment, he explained, would make it illegal to claim self-defense if a person initiates a confrontation and then kills someone.

As part of the push to make that happen, Tracy Martin and Trayvon's mother, Sybrina Fulton, created the Trayvon Martin Foundation. The organization, Tracy Martin said, will work toward amending self-defense laws and toward creating supportive programs to enhance the lives of young black men.

The father added that he's dedicated to ensuring his son's name is connected with helping the country confront racial disparities and cross cultural understanding as well as preventing others from dying like his son.

"Trayvon helped bridge the gap of America," Tracy Martin said he hopes his son's legacy will become.

Benjamin Crump, an attorney for Trayvon's parents, also asked members of Congress Wednesday to press the Department of Justice to continue investigating the death of Trayvon and evaluate whether Zimmerman was justified in shooting the teen. An investigation by the department was opened last year.

Last week, Obama said all Americans should respect the jury's acquittal of Zimmerman, but white Americans should also understand that African Americans are pained by Trayvon's death and continue to face racial discrimination.

"Trayvon Martin could have been me 35 years ago," the nation's first African-American president said.

Michael Eric Dyson, an author and professor of sociology at Georgetown University, told those at the hearing Wednesday that the White House could lead actions to improve race relations and lives of black men.

"It is about the way in which black masculinity expresses and emits a threat in American culture both consciously and unconsciously that needs to be decoupled in the collective imagination of America," Dyson said.

Later, Dyson pointed to Obama's experience in office as an example of the harmful mindsets that affects many black men in other positions.

"They are profiling Mr. Obama in the White House," said Dyson, explaining that people demanding Obama's transcripts and other evidence of his qualification to be president. "The White House can set the tone."

Others including Rep. Frederica Wilson, D-Fla, David J. Johns, executive director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans, and Kweisi Mfume, former congressman and NAACP President, spoke about other issues that closely relate to racial profiling. Several said America must evaluate incarceration rates, mandatory sentencing, and racial disparities in life expectancy rates and poverty.

Meanwhile, Norton made it clear she plans to combat stand your ground laws with African Americans as the focus.

"A civilian can profile if you're in a stand your ground state," Norton said. "They are a clear and present danger to every black man in America."